Skill players aplenty in Hogs' '21 class

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas is not lacking for players who have the potential to become playmakers on offense in its 2021 recruiting class.

The top three players who signed with the Razorbacks on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday are skill-position players, highlighted by wide receiver Ketron Jackson, a standout from Royse City, Texas.

Tulsa (Okla.) Union running back AJ Green and receiver Raheim Sanders of Rockledge, Fla., round out the Razorbacks’ group of 4-star signees, according to 247Sports.

“I thought (wide receivers) Coach (Justin) Stepp did a great job with those guys,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “If you look, there’s a lot of talent there.”

Jackson is Arkansas’ highest-rated signee in the class, according to 247Sports. He is considered the No. 21 receiver in the country and No. 21 player in Texas for 2021.

As a senior, Jackson finished with 765 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 19.6 yards per catch. He put his athleticism to good use at defensive back as well and recorded two interceptions.

Jackson, who also returned a kickoff for a score this season, chose the Razorbacks over offers from Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Baylor, among other programs.

Sanders (6-2, 210 pounds) caught 24 passes for 391 yards and 4 touchdowns at Rockledge last season, and also played running back and linebacker. He averaged nearly 16 yards per carry as a senior, and defensively totaled six sacks during his junior year.

Sanders is rated the No. 8 athlete in the country, according to 247Sports. He had an offer list that included Oklahoma, Auburn, Miami and Florida State.

“Jackson is a highly recruited kid,” Pittman said “Rocket Sanders can play several different spots. We want him as a wide receiver, but he’s going to play running back for us as well.”

Pittman is also excited by receivers Bryce Stephens and Jaedon Wilson. Stephens, who starred at John Marshall High School in Oklahoma City, is a three-star prospect who is rated the No. 8 player in Oklahoma.

Stephens caught 30 touchdown passes over his final three high school seasons, including 15 to go with 1,004 receiving yards as a sophomore. Stephens is one of six signees from Oklahoma in the Razorbacks' class this year.

“(He) will have a decent chance, a good chance to win the 100 meters in 4A there in Oklahoma,” Pittman said.

Wilson, who is from Desoto, Texas, is a top-100 receiver in the 2021 class, per 247Sports. A senior captain this season, he averaged nearly 20 yards per reception and totaled eight touchdowns, including two touchdowns in games against Lake Ridge, Waco and Midway.

Wilson (6-3, 172) signed with the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Louisville, Houston, Illinois and other programs.

“He is a long-ball threat,” Pittman said. “He can catch. Great size on him.”

Erin Outley, a tight end signee from Little Rock Parkview, is another promising prospect Pittman is eager to coach. He broke out as a junior with 721 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on 48 catches. Outley caught two passes for 90 yards and a touchdown before a meniscus injury ended his 2020 season.

Pittman said the tight end was one of the first prospects in the 2021 class that he wanted to extend an offer to after he was hired last December.

“I thought he fit in perfectly with what we do,” Pittman said. “Obviously, he had an unfortunate injury there, but his injury is healing well. He'll be on time. He's on time on his schedule. But I just thought he was exactly what we need as a tight end — maybe what other teams are playing with at tight end.

“I was very, very high on him and still am.”

Both of Arkansas’ running back signees — Green and Javion Hunt — are top-30 rated players at their position, according to 247Sports. Green rushed for 1,325 yards and 19 touchdowns this year, leading Union to a state semifinal appearance.

At Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Hunt was a three-year starter at tailback and rushed for more than 1,900 yards and 37 touchdowns over his final two seasons.

“If you really look at the kids we signed, for the most part we signed a lot of speed out of the state of Oklahoma,” Pittman said. “(Hunt is) very tough and was their main running back for several years.”